Floor rack supporting means



Feb. 23, 1932. M. s. JOHNSON FLOOR RACK SUPPORTING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1931 Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MALCOLM S. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ILLINOIS RAILWAY EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS FLOOR RACK SUPPORTING MEANS Application filed March 21, 1931. Serial No. 524,397.

My invention relates to means for supporting the respective sections of the floor racks, employed in railroad refrigerator cars, in raised position against the car side walls when the rack or any of the rack sections are not in use.

Floor racks of refrigerator cars are generally made in sections and arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the car and these sections at times must be raised up against the side walls of the car out of the way and means must be provided for holding these sections in their raised positions and preferably substantially parallel with the car side walls.

The invention contemplates means which may be easily manipulated and which will permit of adjustment to be made so as to compensate for any slight inaccuracies and therefore any slight back-lash of the floor rack section that may be encountered in the raised section; while at the same time providing means which will not interfere in the proper lowering and position of the floorrack 011 the main floor of the car.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the specific exempliiication of my invention as disclosed in the accompanying drawings; it being understood, however, that certain modifications in the specific embodiment may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter described.

In the drawings 2- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a car and a portion of a floor-rack section, on one side of the longitudinal center of the car, shown held in raised position by my improved support or holding means. Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1, as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a part of a floor-rack section in lowered position, showing my improved supporting means in non-supporting position.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional plan view taken substantially on the line 4c-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken 011 the line 55 of Figure 1 as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 6 is alongitudinal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 7- of Figure 3 as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 as viewed by the arrows.

Refrigerator car floor-racks consist of the longitudinal members or stringers 10 and the superposed cross-members or slats 11. The various sections are usually hingedly secured either to the car main floor, a portion whereof is shown at 12, or to the car side wall 13 by means of suitable hinges, as for example shown at 14.

My improved means is especially intended to be secured to the stringer 10 which is disposed adjacent to the car side wall.

111 the specific embodiment of my improved supporting means shown at 15, it consists of an attaching member 16 preferably provided with an elongated shell or tubular portion 17 provided adjacent to one end with a flange or plate portion 18 adapted'to extend flush with one side of the stringer 10; the flange or plate portion being apertured to receive suitable attaching bolts 19, which pass through the stringer .10.

The stringer 10 is bored to receive the tu bular portion 17 which is preferably of length to extend through the stringer. gated shell or tubular portion 17 on its interior is provided with a slot 20 which extends from the plate or attached end of the shell and terminates at a slight distance from the opposite end in a circumferential groove or slot 21; while the shell, adjacent to the other end, is provided with a circumferential groove 22; these grooves 21 and 22, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, extend only partially about the shell, with slot or groove 22 being of greater length than groove 21.

Slidingly disposed through shell 17 is the supporting rod or stem 23 of suitable length greater than the distance between the stringer 10 and the main car floor 12 when the floor The elonrack is raised or swung up against the car wall 13.

One end of the stem 23 is preferably provided with an enlargement or foot portion 24 adapted to engage with the car main floor 12 when the rack is raised and the device is moved into the supporting and holding position shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6. In order to provide a non-yielding engagement or support, the car floor may be provided with a small metallic plate as shown at 25, preferably countersunk and positioned to come beneath the foot portion 24 of the supporting stem or plunger 23.

The other end of the stem or rod 23 is shown provid-ed'with a suitable operating handle or lever 26, which is preferably removably secured, in non-rotating manner, to the plunger and held in place in any suitable manner.

The handle 26 is removably secured in place to permit the stem or plunger 23 to be inserted through the sleeve .portion 17 from what may be termed the lower end thereof when in the supporting position.

The stem or plunger 23, intermediate of its ends, namely at a point somewhat near to the footend, is provided with a laterally disposed lug 27.

The lug 27, at least its upper face as seen in Figure 6, and the slot or groove 22 are formed in the nature of a helix so as to provide a slight screwing tendency to force the j plunger or stem 23 downwardly or in the direction of its foot portion when the plunger isrotated after the lug 27 is positioned in the slot or groove 22.

As the slot 20 extends through to the lower I end of the sleeve portion 17, it is apparent that the lug :27 will pass upwardly lengthwise of slot 20 when the plunger :23 is put into place; and that partial rotation of the plunger may be had when the lug 27 is in register eitherwith slot 21 or with slot 22.

When the floor rack is tobe in lowered position on the car main floor, the plunger 23 is moved outwardly in the direction of the handle 26 into the position shown in Figure 3, thus brin 'in the lug 27 at the end of the slot 20 provided with the slot or groove 21,

which will permit the plunger 23 to be partially rotated so as to have the lug 27 enter the groove 21. With lug 27 arranged in the groove'21, it is evident that the plunger will be held against telescopic or sliding movement in the tubular portion 17, thus holding the plunger 23 in position away from the car floor to permit the floor-rack to be swung downwardly onto the floor.

The distance between the lug 27 and the foot portion 24 of the plunger must be such as to also permit the plunger to be moved longitudinally sufficient so the foot 24 will clear the side wall of the car as shown in Figure 3.

. When it is desired to raise the floor rack into position against the car side wall, the operator, after having raised the rack, grasps handle 26 and rotates the plunger so as to move lug 27 out of groove 21 and into longitudinal slot 20. This permits the plunger 23 to drop or slide downwardly into the position shown in Figure 1 The operator then rotates the plunger 23 in the reverse direction so as to move the lug 27 into the groove 22, thereby locking the plunger 23 against longi'- tudinal movement. With the upper face of the lug 27 and the correlated wall of groove '22'formed in the nature of a helix it is apparent that adjustments of the plunger may be obtained which will force the plunger into firm relation with the car floor and thus .prevent any back lash "or outward swayingmovement of the raised :floorarack section.

In order to lower the floor-rack section, the plunger .23 is rotated in the reverse direction so as to move the lug 27 out ot'zgroove22 and into slot 20, at which time the plunger is drawn upwardly until the lug '27 reaches the opposite end of slot 20, when the plunger is slightly rotated so :as to move the lug 27 into groove 21, which will hold the plunger in its retracted positionlshown in Figure :3, permitting the fioor-rack section :to beswuaag :downwardly onto the roar floor, while thesupiporting means is out of. the way .and in no way interferes with proper use of the floor rack.

The exemplification of the invention is thought to be a simple embodimentof the invention, but modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is: .1. Floor rack supporting means comprising an attaching member adapted to be secured to a floor-rack; :a supporting member mounted in said attaching member so as to move lengthwise thereof; and means whereby the supporting member is locked .in .supporting position.

.2. Floor rack supporting means comprising an attaching member adapted to be se- -cured to a floor rack; :asupporting member slid-ingly mounted insaid.attachingimember;

the members being provided with correlated portions whereby partial rotationiof the iSllP- porting member when. in supporting position will locksaid member in .place.

v3. Floor rack supporting means comprisingan attaching member provided with an elongated sleeve portion having a circumferentially disposed groove adjacent to the end; and a supporting member .slidingly mounted in the attaching member and provided with a laterally disposed lug iadapted, upon trotation of the :supportingxmember, to .moveinto said groove :and lock the supporting member in place.

4. Floor rack supporting means comprising an attaching member provided with .an

elongated sleeve :having a slot disposed no lengthwise therein and a helically formed groove at one end communicating with said slot; and a supporting plunger slidably mounted in said attaching member and provided with a laterally disposed helically formed lug adapted to move lengthwise of said slot and, upon rotation of the plunger, to move into said groove.

5. Floor rack supporting means comprising an attaching member provided with an elongated sleeve adapted to pass through and be secured to a stringer of a floor-rack, said member having a slot extending lengthwise therein from one end, the sleeve at opposite ends having circumferentially disposed grooves communicating with said slot; and a plunger slidingly arranged in said sleeve and provided intermediate of its ends with a laterally disposed lug, said lug and at least one of said grooves having helical formation whereby the plunger is adjustably locked in place.

MALCOLM S. JOHNSON. 

